Flush valve assembly



Oct. 10, 1961 R. J. MOLANAHAN FLUSH VALVE ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 16, 1.958

INVENTOR. Robert .1 McLana/mn BY ,,M W4 6W.

H/S A T'TORNEYS United States Patent Q 3,003,741 FLUSH VALVE ASSEMBLY Robert J. McLanahan, Aliquippa, Pa., assignor to Mc- Lanahan Products, Inc., Aliquippa, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 780,776 4 Claims. (Cl. 251-26) This invention relates to flush valve assemblies for water closets and particularly to pressure operated flush valves which deliver controlled amounts of water to a closet bowl for flushing thereof.

Heretofore flush valve assemblies have been located generally adjacent a closet bowl and there are usually in sight and detract from appearance of the surroundings. Such flush valve assemblies not only are unattractive but occupy a space which otherwise can be more efliciently utilized. In present day erection of dwellings and buildings, many contractors seek to conceal behind walls, partitions or in recesses as much of water closets as possible to make a bathroom or rest room more attractive.

Many of the water closets presently in use are Wasteful for they deliver excess quantities of water necessary to adequately flush a closet bowl. This is particularly true where a small amount of water will satisfactorily remove waste from a closet bowl. However, because most present day water closet apparatus can deliver only a large amount of water which in no way can be reduced and because there are many areas where water is scarce and/or costly, it is highly desirable that the amount of water required for adequate flushing be controlled.

My invention provides a flush valve assembly which may be disposed so that the control for initiating a flushing operation can be located at one station and the flush valve at a second station positioned some distance from the first station. In addition, my flush valve assembly regulates the amount of water used for flushing a closet bowl. Specifically, my flush valve assembly comprises a housing having a water inlet and a water outlet with the water inlet adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure. A resilient diaphragm separates the water inlet from the water outlet and normally closes the water inlet. Within the housing is a chamber formed by the housing and the diaphragm with the chamber adapted to hold a quantity of water. Connected to the chamber by a first conduit is a valve means which in turn is connected to a pipe leading from the water outlet to a closet bowl. Operating means is connected to the valve means for regulating, opening and closing thereof so that when the operating means opens the valve means, water flows from the chamber through the valve means to the pipe and thereby permits the water under pressure in the inlet to move the diaphragm and enable water to flow from the inlet to the outlet. Extending through the diaphragm is a passageway which interconnects the chamber and the water inlet for equalizing water pressure within the housing to return the diaphragm to its closed position. Preferably, I locate the valve means and the operating means therefor a distance apart from the housing.

In the accompanying drawing I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view in section showing my flush valve assembly; and

FIGURE 2 is a section view along the line H-II of FIGURE 1.

Referring to FIGURE 1, my flush valve assembly comprises a housing 1 which has a water inlet 2 and a water outlet 3 separated from each other by a resilient diaphragm 4. The water inlet is connected to a source of water under pressure. The water under pressure enters the inlet in the direction of arrow 5. The resilient dia- 3,003,741 Patented Oct. 10, 1961 2 phragm may be made from any suitable material such as natural rubber, synthetic rubber and other appropriate flexible and resilient substances. The water outlet is joined to a pipe 6 which connects to a closet bowl (not shown) and delivers water from the water inlet thereto for flushing of the closet bowl.

Within the housing 1 is a chamber 7 formed by the housing and the resilient diaphragm 4. The chamber holds a small volume of water, usually a few ounces which enters it from the water inlet through a small pasF sageway 8 extending through the diaphragm and interconnecting the water inlet 2 and the chamber 7. Normally the diaphragm closes the water outlet and when the outlet is closed, the diaphragm engages a seat 9 formed by the water outlet. The diaphragm is moved into engagement with the valve seat 9 by the pressure of water which enters the chamber through the passageway 8 as water flows from the inlet through the outlet. The raising and lowering of the diaphragm relative to its seat to open and close the water inlet will be described more in detail hereinafter.

A first conduit 10 connects the chamber 7 to a pilot valve unit 11 which initiates the flashing of the closet bowl and which regulates the amount of Water flowing from the water inlet through the water outlet to the closet bowl. The pilot valve unit comprises a casing 12 to which the first conduit is connected and from which a second conduit 13 and its branch 14 lead to the pipe 6 and are connected thereto. Thus water from the chamber 7 flows therefrom through the first conduit, through the pilot valve unit, to the second conduit and thence into the pipe 6 and onto the closet bowl.

Disposed inside the casing 12 are two valves, an upper one 15 and a lower one 16 operated by a handle 25 pivoted to the casing by a pin 25a so that normally both I valves are closed when the handle is in the position shown,

in FIGURE 1, i.e., its neutral position. Each of the two valves is opened and closed independently of the other. As shown, the upper valve 15 is at the top part of the casing where its head 17 engages a seat 18 when it is closed. The lower valve 16 is at the bottom part of the casing where its head 19 engages a seat 20 when it is closed.

The head 17 of the upper valve 15 is mounted 'upon a collar 21 through which a stem 22 extends in slidable relationship thereto. The stem also extends through a bore 23 in the head 17 and is slidable in relation thereto. Afrixed to the stem 22 is a ring 24 positioned just above the head 17 and movable with the stem when it is raised or lowered by operation of the handle 25.

The stem 22 extends up through a bore 26 in the casing 12 and is slidable therein. The upper end of the stem is aflixed to a timer 27 disposed above the casing and the lower end of the stem terminates in a T-shaped member 28 which is located in a cap 29 with the stem extending down through a bore 30 in the cap to the T-shaped mem-.

ber. The stem is slidable through the bore 33 as the stem is raised or lowered in respect thereto but the T-shaped member cannot travel up through the bore upon raising of the stem.

The cap 29 is afiixed to the valve head 19 and forms a seat for one end of a coil spring 31. The other end of the coil spring engages the underside of the collar 21 so that the spring urges the collar 21 and the valve head 17 passing through theentrance by setting the needle valve tonarrowor widen the entrance to the second conduit 13. When the lower valve 16 is opened, water flows from the chamber through the first conduit, through the casing andou't through the valve to the branch 141and thence tovthepipe6. V Referring to FIGURES 1 and 12; an arm 34 connected to the handle 25 carries a roller 35 rotatably mounted at itsfree end'on bifurcated ends 34. The roller is disposed within the timer 27 which comprises a head 36 having.

therein a track 37 overrwhich the roller travels. The track extends from a first station 38 in the head 36 to a second station 39 thereinwith the first station being located at a lower level than the second station. As shown in FIGURE 1, the roller is atits neutral position on its track where both valves 15 and.16 are closed and the handle isintheposition shown. The distance from the neutral position to the firststation 38 along the track is shorter than the distancefrom the neutral position to thesecond station 39 along the track.

spring 40 .connectedtothe handle and disposed inarecess 41 in the casing12 returns the roller to the neutral position after it has been moved alongthe track to the first station by a counterclockwise swing of the handle, viewing FIGURE 1. The spring also returns the roller to the neutral position after it hasbeen moved to the secondstationby swinging the handle in a clockwise direction, viewing FIGUREl, Upon return of the roller from either of the two stations to the neutral position, the valvev which was opened by movement of the handle is sed- $winging of the handle 25 in a counterclockwise direction opens. the upper valve 15 while leaving the lower valve 16 closed and causes the roller to enter the first station 38. When the handle is swung in the counterclockwise direction, the timer and .thevstem are forced downwardly against the upward urging of the coil spring 31, thereby bringing the ring 24 affixed to the stem into engagement with'the head 17 and forcing it ofi the seat 18 toopen the valve. Water then flows out of the chamber through the valve 15, needle valve 33, tothe second con duit and thence to the pipe. Upon opening ofthe valve 15, thepressure on the chamber-side of the diaphragm 4 isreduced so thatthe pressure on the inlet side raises the diaphragm upwardly and off its seat. 9, whereupon water flows-from the inlet to the outlet and thence to the closet bowl for flushing.

Downward movement of the stem does not afiect the lower valve 16 for the stem merely slides through the bore in the cap towards the bottom thereof.

When the roller has entered the first station, the spring acting upon the handle 25 and the coil spring 31 acting upon the ring 24, afiixed to the stem, through the collar 21 and head 17 simultaneously raises the stern and timer to the position of FIGURE 1 and thus cause the roller to return to the neutral position and bring the handle back to the position of FIGURE 1. When the stem and timer have been raised to the position of FIGURE 1, the handle returns to its starting positiou and the upper valve 15 has closed. Once the valve 15 closes, water which enters the chamber 7 through the passageway 8 fills it, the first conduit and the casingand thus, the pressure on the chamber side of the diaphragm equals the water pressure on the inlet side thereof. Then, the water pressure inthe chamber forces the diaphragm down into engagement with its seat, thereby terminating'the flushing.

Movement of the handle 25 in a clockwise direction, viewing FIGURE 1, forces the stemand timer head upwardly, thus opening the lower valve 16 while, leaving the upper valve 15 closed. This causes the roller 35 to travel along the track 37 and enter the second station 39. The upward movement of the stem 22 opens the valve 16 by engagement of the T-shaped member with the upper part of the cap 29 and its subsequent lifting of the cap and the valve head afiixed thereto up off of the seat 20. As the stem rises, it slides through the collar 21, the valve head 17 and the top of the casing, and'in' no way affects the upper valve .15 which remains closed. Upward movement of the stem is resisted by the coil spring 31 acting upon the lower part of the cap 29.

With the lower valve 16 open, water flows from the chamber, the first conduit and the casing out through the branch 14 to the pipe 6 and onto the closet bowl. Once the valve 16 has opened, pressure on the chamber side of the diaphragm is lowered relative to that on the inlet side and the Water under pressure in the inlet raises the diaphragm up oif its seat 9 whereupon water flows from the inlet to the outlet and thence to the bowl for flushing thereof.

The spring 40 acting upon the handle 25 and the coil spring 31 acting upon the cap 29 simultaneously lower the timer and stem to the position of FIGURE 1, return the roller from the second station to the neutralposition and bring back the handle to its starting position so that the valve 16 is closed when therollerreaehes the neutral position. When the valve 16 has closed, water which enters the chamber 7 through the passageway 8 fills it, the casing and the first conduit. Then when the pressure of the water in the chamber equals that of the pressure of thewater in the inlet, the diaphragm lowers and engages its seat and terminates the flushing of the bowl.

Because the distance along the track fromthe neutral position to the first station is shorter than the distance from the neutral position to the second station, the hush interval when the handle is swung counterclockwise is shorter than when the handle is swung clockwise for the lower valve 16 is open fora longer time than the upper valve15 Thusless water is used for a flushing initiated by acounterclockwise movement of the handle as compared to clockwisemovement thereof.

The flush interval produced by counterclockwise swinging of the handle can be further regulated by setting of the needle valve so that the entrance 32 is narrowed by the needle valve, thus allowing less water to escape from the chamber while the upper valve 15 is open. Accordingly, less time is required to fill the casing, the first conduit and the chamber to seat the diaphragm than where the entrance is widened by setting of the needle valve.

My flush valve assembly has the advantage of ability to locate the pilot valve unit which controls the flushing operation apart from the flush valve and thereby permit the flush valve to be located in an out of the way place such as a recess in a wall or behind a partition. This permits one to have only a small pilot valve or a part thereof in view in a bathroom or restroom, thereby increasing the attractiveness of the bathroom or rest room. In addition, my flush valve assembly avoids waste of water by controlling amounts of water required to adequately flush closet bowls.

While I have described a present preferred embodiment of my invention, it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the followingclaims.

I claim:

l. A flush valve assembly comprising a housing having a Water inlet and a water outlet, said water inlet being adapted to be connected tola source of water under pressure, a resilient diaphragm separating the water inlet from the water outlet and being adapted to normally close the water inlet, a chamber in said housing formed by the housing and the diaphragm and adapted to hold a quantity of water, valve means connected to said chamber by a first conduit, a second conduit connecting said valve means to a pipe' leading from'said water outlet to a closet bowl, operating means connected to said valve means for regulating opening and closing of said'val've means so that when said operating means opens saidvalve means water fiows from said'chaniber through said valve meansto said pipe and thereby permits water under pressure in said water inlet to move said diaphragm and enable water to flow from the water inlet to the Water outlet, said diaphragm having a restricted passageway therethrough which interconnects said chamber and said water inlet for equa izing water pressure within the housing to return the diaphragm to its closed position, said operating means being movable and includ ng a member and a track with said member disposed upon said track for movement in either of two directions along a path of travel thereover from a position thereon at which the operating means closes the valve means, movement of said member in either of said two directions from said position opening said valve means and being to one of two stations on said track, the distance between said position and one or" said two stations being greater than the distance between said position and the other station of said two stations so that movement of the member along said path of travel to one station and return to said position maintains said valve means open longer than movement of said member along said path of travel to the other station and return to said position.

2. A flush valve assembly comprising a housing having a water inlet and a water outlet, said water inlet being adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure, a resilient diaphragm separating the Water inlet from the water outlet and being adapted to normally close the water inlet, a chamber in said housing formed by the housing and the diaphragm and adapted to hold a quantity of water, a casing connected to said chamber by a first conduit, 21 second conduit connecting said casing to a pipe leading from said water outlet to a closet bowl, two valve means disposed in said casing for regulating flow of water therethrough to said pipe, operating means connected to said two valve means for controlling opening and closing of said two valve means, said operating means opening and closing each of said two valve means independently of the other, opening of each of said valve means causing water to flow from said chamber through said casing to said pipe, thereby permitting water under pressure in said water inlet to move said diaphragm and enable water to flow from the water inlet to the water outlet, said diaphragm having a restricted passageway therethrough which interconnects said chamber and said water inlet for equalizing water pressure within the housing to return the diaphragm to its closed position, said operating means being movable and including a member and a track with said member disposed upon said track for movement along a path or" travel thereover from a position thereon at which the operating means closes said two valve means, movement of said member over said track from said position to one of two stations on said track opening one of said two valve means, and movement of said member over said track to the other of said two stations opening the other of said two valve means,

by cooperating means for returning said member to said position from movement to either of said two stations.

4. A flush valve assembly comprising a housing having a water inlet and a water outlet, said water inlet being adapted to be connected to a source of water under pressure, a resilient diaphragm separating the water inlet from the water outlet and being adapted to normally close the water inlet, a chamber in said housing formed by the housing and the diaphragm and adapted to hold a quantity of water, a casing connected to said chamber by a first conduit, a second conduit connecting said casing to a pipe leading from said water outlet to a closet bowl, two valve means disposed in said casing for regulating flow of water therethrough to said pipe, operating means connected to said two valve means for controlling opening and closing of said two valve means, said operating means opening and closing each of said two valve means independently of the other, opening of each of said valve means causing water to flow from said chamber through said casing to said pipe, thereby permitting water under pressure in said water inlet to move said diaphragm and enable water to flow from the water inlet to the water outlet, said diaphragm having a restricted passageway therethrough which interconnects said chamber and said water inlet for equalizing water pressure within the housing to return the diaphragm to its closed position, said operating means being movable and including a member and a track with said member disposed upon said track for movement in either of two directions along a path of travel thereover from a position thereon at which the operating means closes said two valve means, movement of said member over said track from said position in one direction along said path of travel being to one of two stations on said track and opening one of said two valve means and movement of said member over said track in the other of said two directions being to the other of said two stations and opening the other of said two valve means, the distance between said position and one of said two stations being greater than the distance between said position and the other station of said two stations so that movement of said member along said path of travel to one station and return to said position maintains one of said two valve means open longer than said other valve means when there is movement of said member along said path of travel to the other station and return to said position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 916,758 Murphy Mar. 30, 1909 2,015,003 Brown Sept. 17, 1935 2,61 ,187 Romanelli Sept. 30, 1952 2,772,067 Wilson Nov. 27, 1956 2,788,789 Asplund Apr. 16, 1957 2,943,636 Reed July 5, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 897 Great Britain of 1880 

